Depending on the season, up to 20% of people can carry Group A Strep. Throat swabs are not recommended for patients with sore throats associated with cold symptoms.
From Towards Optimized Practice
Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Nursing home acquired pneumonia
Urinary tract infections in long term care
Multiple sclerosis and urinary tract infection
From the British Columbia Ministry of Health
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Macroscopic and Microscopic Urinalysis and the Investigation of Urinary Tract infections
Otitis Media: Acute Otitis Media (AOM) and Otitis Media with Effusion (OME)
From the Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia (PICNet)
See link to Antibiotic Resistant Organism (ARO) Guidelines (2013) on PICNet Practice Guidelines page
From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Adult Treatment Guidelines: Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Adult Appropriate Antibiotic Use Summary
Nonspecific Upper Respiratory Tract Infection
Acute Bacterial Rhinosinusitis
Acute Cough Illness (Acute Bronchitis)
Pediatric Treatment Guidelines: Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Practice Tips – Careful Antibiotic Use
The Common Cold: Rhinitis vs. Sinusitis
Pharyngitis: Treat Only Proven GAS
From the Infectious Disease Society of America
Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in Adults
Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) in Infants and Children